gate

gate

 [gāt]

1. an electronic circuit that passes a pulse only when a signal (the gate pulse) is present at a second input.

2. a mechanism for opening or closing a protein channel in a cell membrane, regulated by a signal such as increased concentration of a neurotransmitter, change in electrical potential, or physical binding of a ligand molecule to the protein to cause a conformational change in the protein molecule.

3. to open and close selectively and function as a gate.

Miller-Keane Encyclopedia and Dictionary of Medicine, Nursing, and Allied Health, Seventh Edition. © 2003 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. All rights reserved.

gate

(gāt),

1. To close an ion channel by electrical (for example, membrane potential) or chemical (for example, neurotransmitter) action.
See also: cardiac gating.

2. Action of a special nerve fiber to block the transmission of impulses through a synapse, for example, gating of pain impulses at synapses in the dorsal horns.
See also: cardiac gating.

3. A device that can be switched electronically to control the passage of a signal.
See also: cardiac gating.

4. To use a physiologic signal, such as an ECG, to trigger an event such as an x-ray exposure or to partition continuously collected data.
See also: cardiac gating.

[O.E. geat]

Farlex Partner Medical Dictionary © Farlex 2012

Cell biology A structure composed of one or more proteins that regulate passage of ions through channels in the cell membrane; gates may be chemically regulated—by neurotransmitters—or voltage regulated—in response to a threshold level of depolarization
Drug slang A regional term for Spanish heroin
Informatics An electronic circuit that performs an operation when the criteria for a logical relation—e.g., AND, or OR—are fulfilled
Immunology verb To limit the size of cells detected and their fluorescence in flow cytometry to increase the purity of cell population being analysed or sorted
Vox populi A new root form derived from the Watergate scandal which toppled the Nixon administration; -gate has been applied to various scandals. Medically-related -gates include AIDSgate and Bloodgate

Segen's Medical Dictionary. © 2012 Farlex, Inc. All rights reserved.